Procedure and apparatus for registering photographic sheets and the like



May 28, 1957 F. QZGA- 2,793,442

PROCEDURE AND APPARATUS FOR REGISTERING PHOTOGRAPHIC SHEETS AND THE LIKEFiled larch 11, 1955 mail;

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United States Patent PROCEDURE AND APPARATUS FOR REGISTER- INGPHOTOGRAPHIC SHEETS AND THE LIKE Franciszek Ozga, Louisville, Ky.,assignor to Intercom- The present invention relates to a procedure andapparatus for registering sheets and having particular application tothe registration of photographic sheets or films as required in the artof color reproduction.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improvedprocedure and apparatus which is capable of producing more accurateregistration of photographic sheets than has been possible heretoforeand which is particularly applicable to films of acetate and the likewhich tend to change dimension when subjected to ordinary changes oftemperature and humidity. It is a related object to provide a procedureand apparatus enabling accurate center registration even when usingfilms or the like having such dimensional instability as to makeregistration by ordinary means difficult or impossible.

It is another object to provide a registration scheme which is easy touse, which eliminates the sticking and binding associated with the useof prior devices under certain conditions, which may be employed forsimultaneous registration of a relatively large number of sheets, [andwhich substantially eliminates the human element and the need for skill.

It is a further object to provide a registration arrangement in whichprepared sheets need not be used with a single specially prepared anddimensioned frame or support but which enables such sheets to be usedinterchangeably on a wide variety of frames, insuring that registrationis universally maintained even when the same sheets are used orprocessed in different shops or laboratories.

Finally, it is an object to provide a registering arrangement which, inspite of its high accuracy, is inexpensive to set up and to use.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent upon studying theattached detailed designation and upon reference to the drawings, inwhich:

Figure 1 shows a registration frame embodying the present invention withthe position of a sheet thereon being indicated by dot-dash outline.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of a sheet embodying the invention and engagingthe pins or projections on the frame of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragment illustrating engagement of the sheet with adifferently shaped pin.

Fig. 4 is a fragment showing the engagement which may occur in a typicalprior art device under certain considenations.

While the invention has been described in connection with a preferredembodiment, it will be understood that I do not intend to limit theinvention thereto but intend to cover all modifications and alternativeconstructions and uses which may be included within the spirit and scopeof the appended claims.

Turning to the drawings, Fig. 1 illustrates, somewhat diagrammatically,a frame or support having a generally rectangular configuration and madeup of four sides 11-14, inclusive, defining a central opening 15.Projecting upwardly from the frame are four pins or projections,arranged in pairs 21, 22 and 23, 24 along center lines 25, 26, thelatter being oriented at with respect to one another and defining 'ageometric center 27.

In carrying out the invention, the pins comprising a pair have lateraledges which are alined along the corresponding center line and face inopposite directions. Stated in other words, the pins lie on oppositesides of the centerline. Thus, referring to pins 21, 22, it will benoted in Figs. 1 and 2 that they lie on opposite sides of the centerline25 and have lateral positioning surfaces 21a, 22a, respectively, whichare alined with the centerline. Correspondingly, pins 23, 24 lie onopposite sides of \the centerline 26 and have positioning surfaces 23a,24a alined therewith.

For registering with the pins 21-24 a sheet 30 is provided which may,for example, be a sheet of acetate film provided with notches 3134 alongits respective edges. The notches are arranged in pairs, as in the caseof the pins, on opposite sides of the centenlines 25, 26, respective'ly,and with one lateral edge of each in alinement with the centerline.Thus, as shown in Fig. 2, the notches 31, 32 have alined edges 31a, 32aand the notches 33, 34 have alined edges 33a, 34a. Also, as shown, therootto-root spacing between the notches is preferably somewhat less thanthe spacing between the pins, i. e., the pins do not bottom in the rootsof the notches.

Prior to discussing the advantages of the arangement described above,mention may be made of a further aspect of the present invention,namely, that the adjacent notches and their corresponding pins are soarranged that their lateral positioning edges are in opposed relationthereby to prevent rotation of the sheet about its center in eitherdirection. The meaning of opposed relation may be made clear byreferring to the adjacent notches 31, 33 registering with pins 21, 23.It will be seen that the lateral edges 31a, 31a thereof face in oppositedirections, the first clockwise, the second counterclockwise. Next,taking the notches 31, 34 as adjacent notches, the lateral edges faceone another, but are nonetheless opposed since 31a faces clockwise and34a faces counterclockwise.

Fig. 2 brings out clearly that the sheet is positively blocked againstany movement in its own plane, the various types of movement beingconsidered, for purposes of analysis, as +x, -x, +y, -y, cw. torsional,and cow. torsional. x and y indicate the usual rectangular coordinates.Thus:

+x movement blocked by lateral surface 21a x movement blocked by lateralsurface 22a +y movement blocked by lateral surface 24a y movementblocked by lateral surface 23a cw. torsional movement blocked by lateralsurfaces 21a,

ccw. torsional movement blocked by lateral surfaces 23a,

The most important feature of the arrangement is the fact that theblocking surfaces, i. e., the mating surfaces on the pins and notchesremains in contact in spite of all dimensional changes which may occurin the sheet as a result of temperature and humidity. In short, thecenter of the sheet coincides with the geometric center 27 of the framein spite of the most extreme expansion or contraction and the centers ofall sheets which may be superimposed on the pins remain inprecisecoincidence.

The latter quality is especially valuable in carrying out the variousphotographic steps in preparing color separation plates. The stepscommonly include masking and may include the making of several cameraexposures of the same subject but with different filters to obtainsocalled RGB negatives. Registration in the first instance is taken careof by providing the above registering pins on the printing frame, and inthe second by providing corresponding pins in the camera itself. As ageneral rule I propose to use my registering arrangement at each step inthe process, in other words, Wherever a photographic film or platemustbe supported, thereby providing automatic accuracy in the finalresult. While the various steps in making a color reproduction involvestechnical skill, it will be appreciated that my scheme for registrationdoes not per se require any skill and the technician is therefore freeto devote his attention-to the other phases of the work.

The advantage of the present arrangement may be appreciated bycomparison with prior art arrangements using pins registering in closefitting apertures in the sheet. When the sheet expands, the conditionsillustrated in Fig. 4 obtains, with lateral play between the pin 37 andaperture 38 and consequent loss, or probability of loss, of register. Inthe case of a. film having a useful area of five by seven inches, amisregistration at the center of less than one-hundredth of an inch maybe objectionable. On the other hand, when shrinkage occurs, the lateraldimension of the aperture becomes insufiicient to clear the pin, withresultant sticking of the films on the pins which not only results innuisance and relay but encourages tearing of the registered films asthey are removed.

Using the present arrangement, furthermore, permits greaterinterchangeability of sheets or films, since the pin size and. shape isnot critical and is not a factor in the registration process. That is tosay, successful registration of sheet 30 (Fig. 2) may be obtained eventhough the pins are shaped somewhat differently from pins 21-24,provided that the lateral surfaces 21a, 22a, and 23a, 24a are inalinement. For example the pins may be made D-shaped in section as at 41in Fig. 3 for reception in rectangular notches, the surface 41acorresponding to the surface 21a referred to above. The main advantageof the latter arrangement is that circular pins may be used ground to aprecise fiat in alinement with the corresponding center line. Thearrangement basically permits the same sheets or films to be processedor used in different laboratories and with different sets of registeringpins while enabling uniformly high standards of registration throughout.

The notching may be accomplished by a suitable punching jig either justprior to use or at the factory before packaging. In either event, theprocess is one involving negligible expense.

I claim as my invention:

1. A rectangular sheet adapted to be registered relative to aregistering support having four pins located substantially 90 apartrelative to the center of said support with opposite ones of said pinseach having a lateral engaging edge in alincment with a centerline andlying on opposite sides of such, centerline, said sheet being providedwith openings along its respective edges for registering with said pins,opposite ones of said openings each having a lateral edge in alinementwith a centerline and lying on opposite sides of such centerline,adjacent openings having their said respective lateral edges in opposedrelation so that both rotary and translatory movement of the sheet onsaid pins is prevented.

2. A rectangular sheet adapted to be registered relative to aregistering support having four pins located substantially apartrelative to the center of said support with opposite ones of said pinseach having a lateral engaging edge in alinement with a centerline andlying on opposite sides of such centerline, said sheet being providedwith openings along its respective edges for registering with said pins,opposite ones of saidopenings each having a lateral edge in alinernentwith a centerline and flying on opposite sides of such centerline, theopenings each having a lateral dimension which is greater than thelateral dimension of the registering pins, adjacent openings havingtheir said respective lateral edges in opposed relation so that bothrotary and transl-atory movement of the sheet on said pins is prevented.

3. A device for registering rectangular sheets, each sheet having fouropenings along its respective edges with opposite onesof said openingseach. having a lateral edge in alinement with a centerline and lying onopposite sides of such centerline, comprising a support having fourprojections so disposed as to register with said openings when saidsheets are placed on said support, said projections having a smallerlateral dimension than said openings, opposite ones of said projectionseach having a lateral engaging edge in alinement with a centerline andlying on opposite sides of such centerline for preventing translatorymovement of the sheet along said centerline in either direction.

4. A device for registering rectangular sheets, each sheet having fouropenings along its respective edges with opposite ones of said openingseach having a lateral edge in alinement with acenterline and lying onopposite sides of such centerline, comprising a support having fourprojections so disposed as to register with said openings when saidsheets are placed on said support, said projections having a smallerlateral dimension than said openings, opposite ones of said projectionseach having a lateral engaging edge in alinement with a centerline andlying on opposite sides of such centerline for preventing translatorymovement of the sheets along said centerlines, and adjacent projectionshaving their said lateral engaging edges in opposed relation to preventrotary movement of the sheets in either direction about their centerrelative tothe device.

5. A. sheet adapted to be registered relative to a registering supporthaving two pairs of projecting pins, the pins of each pair having asheet engaging edge alined with, and on the opposite sides of, astraight line passing through the centersof the support, said sheethaving four openings at its edges for registering engagement with saidpins,.opposite ones of said openings each having a lateral edgealinedwith, and on the opposite side of, a line passing through the center ofthe sheet and adjacent openings havingtheir said respective lateraledges in opposed relatlOILSQthfllt'iJOth rotary and translatory movementof the sheet on said pins is prevented.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

